Collegian will pedal cross-country to raise money for Catholic schools

Generating awareness and creating "miracles" for Catholic schools is this summer's goal for Chelsea Madison.

A native of the Albany Diocese, Ms. Madison is currently earning her master's degree in education while teaching third grade at Little Flower Catholic School in Mobile, Ala., as part of the Alliance for Catholic Education Program (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame.

To raise money for Little Flower and other needy schools in the south, she will participate in a two-month, cross-country bike ride from California to New York City.

Seeking help

During the trip, riders will network with Notre Dame alumni, and speak at Catholic schools and charitable organizations. Ms. Madison estimates that the riders will push on for about six hours each day in order to reach possible donors.

The students are raising $2,500 each to buy bikes, food and other basic needs for the ride. Anything contributed on the trip itself will be donated to the schools.

"The biggest problem that we've discussed isn't having the stamina," Ms. Madison said, "but being on the bike-seat, out in the sun, and working the whole day but then being able to get back on the bike the next day."

Time to think

On her journey, Ms. Madison is looking forward to having some "reflection time" to think about her future: Will it be back to teaching, pursuing a career in art or doing something else she may feel called to?

"I have a lot to think on and pray about," she said. "It's easy to be a good Christian and faithful when you're involved in a service program [like ACE]. I want to figure out how to carry that into my daily life.

"How do you maintain that balance and sense of faith, and convey that to everyone else? I want to take some time to figure that out."

School life

Ms. Madison told The Evangelist that "a big part of why we're taking this bike trip is so that we can share our experiences. The school I teach at is one of the only really racially and socio-economically diverse schools in Mobile, and it's been really incredible being able to be there.

"The doors need to be open to everyone, regardless of race, and [Little Flower is] an example in a city where that's not the norm."

Like many Catholic schools, she added, Little Flower is struggling financially and is in danger of closing. Even though she is leaving at the end of the school year, she wants to do what she can to keep it going.

"The teachers work so hard, and they love these kids so much, and they do it day after day and year after year. It's such an incredible gift for me to see," she said. "I'm really impassioned about the bike trip, because I don't want this school to close."

College life

As for her college life, Ms. Madison said that "Notre Dame really deepened my sense of faith."

She sang in the folk choir and served as a catechist at a local parish in neighboring South Bend.

"This experience [of teaching at Little Flower] has helped me to see that every time you give a gift to someone, you get it back 100-fold," Ms. Madison said. "I think I might find it hard to teach in a public school now, because my sense of teaching and faith and God is so inextricably linked. I wouldn't have been able to make it through the really challenging first year or two, if I wasn't in a place where it was okay to show your faith and discuss that with other people."

(Ms. Madison grew up in St. Joseph's Church in Dolgeville, where she was a catechist while in high school. As a college student, she has worked as a summer counselor at the Albany Diocese's Camp Scully in North Greenbush. When she returns to St. Joseph's for vacation, she sings with the church choir. For information about supporting the bike trip, call Ms. Madison at 315-868-3830 or visit www.iasdallas.com/links/ACE.htm.)

(4/27/06) [[In-content Ad]]